Questions on drying wood

[Craig D Peltier]

Hello, I haven't dried my own wood before but know a fair amount about it. I do have access to a kiln that will get these slabs down to %12 but afterwards storage is an issue.

My questions are what do you think the maple slabs will stay at if stored outside in Seattle under cover after kiln dried? Its very moist here ( drizzles a lot) , no humidty. Large slabs 40-60 wide x 2.5 to 3 inches thick.

From little experience I have with this I bought some maple that was under cover for about 6 months. It wasnt sealed meaning water might of seeped in through the tarp and definitely on the ends. My moisture meter put it at %20. So do you think if its kiln dried then stored outside it night go up to %20 and then when put in shop how long would it take to get back down to 12% here?
I guess if I stored it outside I would have it elevated 4x4s , ends sealed ,then stickered , strapped, covered with tarp and then possibly piece of metal roofing on the top of it.

Thanks

[David L Morse]

http://www.csgnetwork.com/emctablecalc.html links to a moisture calculator. fwiw, plugging in Seattle's averages of 52 degrees and 77 percent give 14.5% moisture.

[Craig D Peltier]

Thanks for that link, thats a handy calculator. I had a hard time finding average temp and humidty here so i just went with yours.


http://www.csgnetwork.com/emctablecalc.html links to a moisture calculator. fwiw, plugging in Seattle's averages of 52 degrees and 77 percent give 14.5% moisture.

[Lee Schierer]

12-14% is a bit high for making cabinets unless you allow for considerable shrink in your designs. Construction lumber is normally at 12%. Here in PA, kiln dried wood I buy is 7% and stabilizes in my wood shop at 8%, in my unheated barn it stays about 9-10%.